Commercial wireless local area networks provide the Air Force the opportunity to lower network infrastructure costs, while allowing the user increased mobility and flexibility. The key factor limiting deployments of these IEEE 802.11 standard based networks is security. In this Phase I project Fidelity Comtech is proposing an innovative physical layer solution that will integrate an IEEE 802.11 compliant access point with an extremely low-cost phased array. This competitively priced solution will limit the physical access to the wireless network.
Benefits:
The benefits of this integrated device will be to increase data and network security by electronically contouring the wireless signal to a specified coverage area. This proposed device will seamlessly integrate into the Air Forces Information Technology (IT) network, and preserve backward compatibility with already installed devices. Commercial benefits can be foreseen in mobile data networking, public safety and homeland security applications.
Keywords: Network, security, wireless, physical layer, radio frequency, antennas, Phased Arrays, modulation
